Software Subscription

"We are bringing a subscription methodology to our core networking portfolio," said Robbins.

Cisco is now making software subscription an essential element of its flagship campus switching portfolio. When purchasing the new Catalyst 9000 family of switches, customers will access the DNA software capabilities by subscription, either via pre-bundled Cisco ONE software suites or a la carte components.

"The beauty is customers now are going to go buy this platform, which gives them access to all these underlying products but in a unified single pane of glass. They're consumption-based -- you buy the hardware, pick the licensing, you go out and get the subscription and you consume the functionality to which otherwise you would buy in different silos,' said Faisal Bhutto, vice president of enterprise networking, cloud and cybersecurity for Computex Technology Solutions, a Houston-based solution provider and Cisco Gold partner. "It just becomes a whole lot simpler for customers."